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The Tech Bus is Coming: 3 Ways B2B Marketers Shouldn't Get Left Behind

I came across an excellent resource while browsing MarketingProf — an animated infographic that details trends in marketing automation, artificial intelligence and machine-learning, and how these emerging forms of technology are becoming more heavily utilized in B2B marketing environments.

While the content is bent more towards account-based marketing, the takeaways are relevant for all B2B marketing efforts in my opinion. The infographic is well worth reviewing in its entirety, but below are some of the facts and figures I found most interesting:

Influencer marketing is the fast-growing customer acquisition channel, rating higher than organic, paid search and email marketing. While influencer marketing (in some form) has been prevalent on the B2C side since as long as advertising has existed, it’s beginning to mature as a strategy with the use of social media, and it’s still a relatively untapped opportunity for most B2B marketers.

88% of marketing leaders either use, or plan to use, marketing automation. Truly, if marketing automation isn’t a part of your plans as you look ahead to 2018, you’re in the vast minority — and you’re running the risk of being left behind by competitors. (See a recent marketing automation success story for one of our clients here.) On a related note, that risk is amplified even further when you consider the following:

52% of customers polled wanted companies to personalize communications to them, or risk the customer switching to another brand — with a startling 65% of buyers/purchasers in businesses feeling the same way. The takeaway is clear: personalized marketing communication has moved from a novelty that could give you a leg up to table stakes in the eyes of your customers.

For more statistics on newer tech relevant to B2B marketing, including AI and machine learning, see the infographic here, and sound off below on what important forms of emerging tech were left out of the graphic.

Collin McElhannon

Collin, senior account executive, joined the VantagePoint team in 2012 and has been a key member of the client services team for Henny Penny, T&S Brass and Saia LTL Freight. A proud Clemson graduate, Collin is as meticulous about his college football fanhood as he is about the details of a new client project.